If you're a College of the Desert student, you can look forward to riding buses across the Coachella Valley for free. Yes, for free. For the next three years.

The SunLine Transit Agency will launch its Haul Pass Program on Monday — the first day of classes at the Palm Desert-based college. Anyone enrolled at COD will be able get onto a SunLine bus by simply swiping their student identification.

Currently, about 16,000 people attend COD and each one is eligible for the program.

"Transportation challenges have long been a hurdle for many of our students and prospective students,” Desert Community College District Chairwoman Becky Broughton said in a news release. “Providing these free SunBus rides to our students will further provide them access to a higher education at our College of the Desert campuses across the Coachella Valley."

Sure, the entire purpose is to help students have ways to get to school. But let's not kid ourselves; the added benefit of unlimited free rides across the desert is a major plus.

And even if they have cars, this will help students save gas and limit air pollution.

Just don't expect to use the free pass on SunLine's Commuter Link 220 to Riverside. That one doesn't count.

A nearly $700,000 grant from California's Low Carbon Transit Operations Program is covering the effort. A ceremony launching of the program is at 10:30 a.m. Friday near the campus' main entrance off Monterey Avenue.

Ultimately, organizers want to partner with other area schools to help the program grow.

For much of last week, it appeared the right northbound lane was destroyed and all that was left was a winding path through orange cones. Drivers couldn't even turn onto Mesquite without taking side streets.

City staff previously announced work should be completed by the end of last week and Fuller said it appeared crews were sticking to the schedule.

Cones were still standing along the stretch, so we'll keep an eye on this.

Area projects are among hundreds that secured funding

Funding was recently approved for a handful of Riverside County highway projects that are expected to benefit residents of the Coachella Valley.

The projects are entirely or partially covered by $2 billion approved by the California Transportation Commission, according to Caltrans. They're among projects across the state that will benefit from the funding.

Local projects include:

Four changeable message signs along Interstate 10, plus one each on Highway 60 in Moreno Valley and Highway 86 Expressway in Coachella. The project costs $4.7 million.

Pavement rehabilitation on I-10 from Pennsylvania Avenue in Beaumont to Highway 111, near Palm Springs. This project costs $215 million.

Other projects include a $158 million pavement project the western portion of Highway 60, I-10 bridge rehabilitation in Colton that will cost $17 million and a $9 million pavement project on Highway 142.

Funding is covered by Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of April 2017. The transportation infrastructure bill invests $54 billion over the next decade to fix roads, freeways and bridges across the state, according to Caltrans.